Hardware Review

Altec Lansing XT1 Speaker System

It’s no great secret that the built-in speakers on most laptops—even
such aural tours de force as the PowerBook 3400 with its built-in
subwoofer—are at best adequate for occasional use. If you’re trying to
give a multimedia presentation or use your laptop as a mobile alarm
clock/jukebox, you’re very familiar with just how bad those built-in
speakers are. As a result, lots of folks have begun using portable (or
semi-portable) speaker systems for this purpose.

Of course, portable speakers are nothing new. I can remember a pair of
speakers some kid brought in to school back in about fifth grade so we
could all listen to his Walkman on the bus. The problem with most
portable speakers is that they’re either unpowered, making them little
better than the built-in speakers they’re intended to supplement, or
they’re bulky, rendering them rather non-portable.

Altec Lansing has attempted to solve both problems with their
USB-powered XT1 portable speaker system, and for the most part, they’ve
succeeded pretty well. The XT1 is essentially a repackaged version of
their various inMotion portable speaker/dock iPod accessories, but
unlike the inMotion line, the XT1 is targeted at laptop users.

These attractive stereo speakers come in their own carrying case, which
also holds two sets of USB cables—a nifty retractable cable and a more
standard cable—and the removable speaker stands. The case is 8.5" × 7"
× 2" with two internal dividers and a small pocket for easy sorting of
the various cables. The only complaint about the case is that it’s just
a hair too small; it needs to be about half an inch wider.

As with most USB speakers, no drivers are required. Simply connect
everything in accordance with the included pictoral quick-start guide
and ensure that the speakers are selected as the output device in the
Sound preference pane. Volume control can be achieved either via the OS
or via the buttons on the side of the right-hand speaker unit, which
also features a power button (to mute the speakers or turn them off
when they’re not needed) and a standard 3.5-mm stereo mini-jack input.
The input seems to be a fairly useless feature, as you can’t get any
sound out of the speakers at all unless USB power is provided. The only
real use for this port would be if you have a laptop old enough to
support USB but not USB audio.

The speakers sound pretty darn good. As you’d expect, the midrange and
treble response is excellent, making for top-notch voice quality. After
all, these are the same drivers in Altec’s FX6021 satellites and the
various inMotion products. The downside, of course, is that there’s no
subwoofer, making bass response fairly weak. It’s still far superior to
the bass response of the built-in speakers on a 15" AlBook, and the XT1
takes full advantage of the USB power, delivering a much cleaner,
louder signal without distortion.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the XT1 exhibits none of the high-frequency
hiss that plagues the otherwise-superb FX6021 desktop system. The USB
input is a digital input, not an analog one, which prevents electrical
noise in the circuitry in the absence of a signal. Altec would do well
to note this advantage and apply the knowledge to the rest of their
product line where practical.

Some of the other industrial design decisions are a bit questionable.
The dark grey plastic border doesn’t match any modern computers (Mac or
PC) and it looks rather cheap, especially on a pair of $130 speakers.
As mentioned above, the stereo input is nearly worthless. I would
rather Altec spend that dollar on matching silver plastic or even
brushed aluminum bases. Interestingly, the included stereo patch cable
(for that useless input) has very high quality, machined, gold-plated
metal connectors. On the plus side, Altec very sensibly put the blue
LED power indicator behind the speaker grille, greatly muting its
brightness, which is a serious problem on the FX6021 system’s control
pod.

The $130 MSRP on these speakers is, to be blunt, ridiculous. They’re
great speakers, but they aren’t worth $130. Fortunately, street prices
(via Froogle) are 25–60% lower.

There are a multitude of sub-$100 speaker systems out there, including
several from Altec Lansing. The singular feature that sets apart the
XT1 is its portability. Without a subwoofer, they’re not a serious
contender in the crowded desktop speaker market, and they’re not
intended to be. For the mobile professional who needs a relatively
powerful but very compact pair of speakers to toss in the briefcase for
presentations, these speakers do the job admirably.

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Reader Comments (2)

The review said the audio input was useless unless you need it for a non-uSB audio laptop.

Not true, I standardise on USB to power everything when I am on a trip, I take a single USB mains power adaptor (if I dont have my laptop with me) and a tiny hub, or a cigarette lighter to USB adaptor in the car, then I can power my phone, MP3 player, Nintendo DS, PSP, GPS etc. In this case this was what I was looking for

My comment is the sound volume is bit crappy as if it was just slightly higher than the in built laptop speakers.Can Altec Lansing improve that particular area?I watched movies with my desktop replacement system using the XTI and it was not impressive!Theefore my conclusion isIts an expensive, overrated gadget!

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